The path from idea to successful new product is typically time-consuming, frustrating, and wrought with twists and turns. That is why so many great ideas do not become commercial successes – at least, not immediately. Just look at the video linked here about the recent problems that have grounded the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
As Daniel Michaels reports for the Wall Street Journal: “Companies, governments, and academics have made ‘innovation’ a buzzword for competing in the global economy. Boeing’s experience offers a reminder that innovation — for all its value — doesn’t come as easily as a catchphrase. It can get messy. Boeing, an icon of American ingenuity, has reshaped travel over the past half-century with bold technological leaps such as the 747. The original jumbo jet in 1970 opened air travel to the masses and connected cities as distant as Seattle and Tokyo. The plane cemented Boeing’s position as the world’s premier jetliner producer for three decades. But it first nearly bankrupted the company due to technical problems and slow orders. Boeing’s backers say the Dreamliner will prove just as revolutionary. But its problems again show the traumas that innovation can bring.”
Click the image to read more from Michaels.
Montage by Bruno Mallert